Friday, January 30, 2009

I spend hours each day cruising the political blogs and boards. And if there is one thing that stands out above all else, it is that most "everyday liberals" who slam conservatives do not seem to have a clue what conservatives stand for. And if someone tells them, they don't believe it. I suspect this comes from a certain amount of brainwashing from the liberal media that tries to twist what conservatives stand for. For example, many media outlets tell you that conservatives are opposed to stem cell research, which is completely untrue, and they know it. What conservatives oppose is not the research, but the taxpayer funding of that research, since the research is controversial and may violate religious tenets of some taxpayers, and since private funding is available. Conservatives also have a problem with investing taxpayer money into private concerns without the benefit of owning any stock in the venture, to share in the profits.

Hence, this post. For anyone who cares to uplift themselves a little bit by learning what conservatism stands for, here it is, in plain English. Love it, hate it, agree with it or oppose it, this is what 84% of all conservatives believe in. If you agree with more than 50% of these principles, you may be a conservative and not have known it. Are you a closet conservative?

1) English should be the official language. Government should offer stipends to immigrants for the purpose of learning English

2) The United States should only grant citizenship to those who want to embrace American values and culture.

3) Every worker should continue to have the right to a federally supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether to organize a union, in order to protect workers from intimidation.

4) Statements regarding religion and morality made by the Founding Fathers are just as important today as they were 200 years ago.

5) Public schools should teach more American history.

6) Conservatives want to increase the number of visas for highly-educated immigrants or those with special skills, the so-called H1B and H2B visas.

7) The American people believe border control is a security issue. Terrorists are trying to enter the United States illegally.

8) Illegal immigrants who commit felonies should be deported after serving a prison term.

9) There should be a worker visa program making it easier for people to work legally in the United States, but not to include all the rights of a citizen.

10) A real time verification system should be established to verify immigration status and it should be outsourced to companies like American Express, Visa, or MasterCard so businesses can immediately identify whether or not someone has forged papers.

11) There should be heavy monetary fines against employers and businesses who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

12) We should dramatically increase our investment in math and science education. We support giving large financial prizes to companies and individuals who invent an affordable car that gets 100 miles to the gallon, invents new ways to successfully cut pollution and who invents a new, safer way to dispose of nuclear waste products.

13) We can solve our environmental problems faster and cheaper with innovation and new technology than with more litigation and more government regulation.

14) We support giving tax credits to companies that cut carbon emissions as an incentive to cut pollution.

15) We should give tax credits to homeowners and builders who incorporate alternative energy systems in their homes, like solar, wind, and geothermal energy.

16) We support building more nuclear power plants to cut carbon emissions.

17) We are prepared to use public funds to preserve green space and parks to protect natural areas from development but especially with public and private partnerships.

18) We want our elected leaders in Washington to focus on increasing the energy supplies of the United States and lowering the costs of gasoline and electricity.

19) To combat the rising cost of energy and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, we support the United States using more of its own domestic energy resources, including the oil and coal it already has here in the U.S.

20) Our current dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security and our economic state by making us vulnerable to dangerous dictatorships.

21) We believe that if research indicates we could build clean coal plants in the United States with no carbon emissions, it would be important to build such plants as rapidly as possible.

22) The federal income tax system is unfair and a fair tax introduced.

23) The death tax should be abolished. Taxes have already been paid on those assets.

24) We favor tax incentives for companies who keep their headquarters in the United States.

25) The option of a single rate fair tax system should give taxpayers the convenience of filing their taxes with just a single sheet of paper.

26) The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world making it difficult for U.S. corporations to compete internationally which gives incentives for companies to move overseas. To make America a more attractive place for businesses that provide good paying jobs, we favor a single 17% tax rate for corporations, with no loopholes.

27) The current Social Security systems is broken and, if it isn’t reformed, future generations will no longer have it as a safety net for retirement.

28) We favor a Social Security proposal in which, when a worker retires, he or she would use the money in the account to buy an annuity, which is a type of financial benefit that will give monthly payments for the rest of the worker’s life. The annuity will pay at least the same amount as traditional Social Security would. The purpose is to make the funds inheritable to family members.

29) Keeping the reference to “One Nation Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is very important.

30) Separation between Church and State does not mean there can be no references to God in government sanctioned activities or public buildings.

31) The best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect ALL religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents.

32) We support the right of high schools students saying thanks to God in a graduation speech, under both freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

33) We must help defend America and her allies.

34) We have to be prepared to survive an attack by a nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon.

35) Terrorism poses a very serious threat for the United States.

36) America should take the threat of terror by fanatical religious groups more seriously.

37) Congress should make it a crime to advocate acts of terrorism, violent conduct, or the killing of innocent people in the United States.

38) Terrorist websites at home and abroad should be closed down using computer warfare.

39) We believe it is wrong to use taxpayer money to fund controversial things, as doing so could violate a citizen's right to honor the tenets of his or her religion. This includes paying for abortion, stem cell research etc. If private sources wish to fund such things, that is not a problem.

40) We strongly oppose partial birth abortion.

41) Abortion laws or regulations is a state's rights issue, and each state should determine what is best for themselves. The government should only declare that abortion shall be legal if the life of the mother is seriously at risk. Any additional requirements, regulations or allowances should be up to the individual states, as dictated by the United States Constitution.

42) We believe the people can manage their money more efficiently and with less waste than the government. Government should be smaller, and assist people to achieve goals rather than get in the way, or compete with them.

43) We believe all adult couples, regardless of gender, should have the right to enter into a legal union and be entitled to all state and federal rights of married couples. However, we hold that marriage shall be defined, as it always has been, as a union between one man and one woman.

Now, very few people will agree 100% with these principles. But polls indicate that 62% of all Americans favor the vast majority of these, and 84% favor more than half. Any person who favors more than half of these principles should accept the fact that they may be far more conservative than they have been led to believe by disingenuous media.

hink about it. Now that you know who we are, do you still hate us? If your answer is yes, then you hate more than half the people in America - including members of your own family, and friends.

It is always amzing to realize that so many people, particularly liberals, do not understand how money works, so they want to tax the rich even more. But before going into the actual "how to" of money, perhaps it is time to explain WHY so many people have the wrong idea.

Liberals exist to create bigger government, and a nanny state. Their objective is to take all the wealth they can via taxes, and use it to create a more socialistic nation, where there are no poor (or rich). In order to accomplish this, they have to get voted into office, so they do two things:

1) They try to keep the poor from being anything but poor. They accomplish this with entitlements like welfare, and get the poor hooked on it. They NEED it. It becomes a drug - I know, as I was once addicted to it. And the Democrat politicians are the drug dealers. If the poor stay poor, they must vote Democrat in order to keep their "fix" of welfare coming. They dare not bite the hand that provides the welfare they depend upon.

2) Liberals must also convince the masses that the economy runs backward, that "trickle-down economics" is wrong. By convincing people of this, they create a class warfare in which the greatest number of people (the NOT rich) will gang up on the smallest number (the RICH). Ever play "King Of The Mountain" as a kid? All the kids at the bottom try to take down the ONE at the top. Not because he is bad, but because THEY want to be at the top. Human nature, and that is good - the strongest is supposed to be the leader. But the liberals play on that to get their agenda through. They make the guy at the top a "bad guy", deserving of being tumbled, because no one should be on top. There should be no rich - all that money should go to the poor. They say no one should be "King of the Mountain". But think about that - if no one is "King of the Mountain", the game is over! Imagine a country with no leader. An army with no general. A family with no parent.

Now, when Democrat politicians say they want to tax the rich and give it to the poor, it is the same as buying votes.

But here is the truth.

Wealth is not created by the poor. Wealth is created by the rich, and the poor benefit from it in the way of jobs, products and services.

Rich Guy invests in innovative ideas, and a business is born. Rich guy took all the risks. The business must hire employees (jobs) to produce products and/or services. Consumers buy those products and services, infusing money back into the businesses so they can grow, and hire more people, and produce more products.

A recession occurs when the money from investors dries up, and fewer products and services can be produced, resulting in the need for fewer employees (layoffs). Only a fool would believe this is done intentionally by the rich, to "punish" the poor. Why would any business go out of business just to punish the poor? It happens because the money the rich would invest is taxed too high, and they do not have enough to invest. And it happens when government gets too big, and interferes in the private sector, or competes with it. This occurs when liberals take congress.

So, here it is in a nutshell:

Businesses and investors (the RICH) are the Golden Goose that lays Golden Eggs (jobs, products, services). If you want more golden eggs, you feed the goose well. If you want fewer eggs, you starve the goose. It is not rocket science.

Higher taxes only serve to starve the goose. If you take away the hard-earned money of the rich, they cannot invest in businesses., Businesses cannot hire, or expand or they are forced to go to other countries. The economy tanks.

Get it? Trickle-Down Economics is the ONLY system that works. After all, when was the last time the poor people created wealth? When was the last time you got a job from a poor person? If there are no rich, who will invest in businesses? Who will pay our salaries? Liberals want the government to do that - socialism. Conservatives want the true leaders to do it - democracy. Liberals want no one but government on top of the mountain, and all the people subservient to it. Conservatives want the strongest, smartest leaders as King of the Mountain, and all the people working together to make sure our leaders ARE the best, by challenging them - not destroying them.

Face ONE indisputable fact: short of doing something illegal there are only TWO ways you can put money in your pocket.

1) You can create a business and have consumers pay you, or2) You can work for someone who has created such a business

In either case, the money you earn, in one way or another, comes from business. It comes from the wealthy. After all, no one else can afford to pay you. If you wait to get a salary from a poor person, you will starve.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Much of the problems we face in America today are the direct result of a serious disconnect with the political elite and the everyday folks. Politicians think with their fat wallets. The folks think with the holes in their pockets.

When a politician has an "evening out", it is likely to include a dinner at a $100 a meal restaurant, followed by a Broadway play or a Penthouse party featuring champagne and caviar. When "the folks" have an evening out, it is more likely to consist of dinner at Pizza Hut and either a movie at the local cinema or a house party featuring beer and chips.

So, when a politician writes a bill, or votes for it, he is looking at the issue from a completely different viewpoint than the folks.

Ergo, I have an idea how we might be able to help reconnect the politicians with the folks. Every state or federal politician should be required by law to spend two consecutive weeks each year living with a family of everyday folks with holes in their pockets. Much like the Foreign Exchange Student program. The politician would be required to eat what they eat, go where they go, and do what they do. He must become part of the family for two glorious weeks of reality. I'm not talking families in abject poverty - just normal, everyday lower-middle class families. Preferably with teenagers.

I believe this may provide an important new perspective to our leaders.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Obama gave his first TV interview - on a muslim station. In the interview he stated that President Bush had been wrong, and Obama wanted to have a "do-over" and the "friendly" relationship we had with them 20-30 years ago.

Our president, and the liberals that support this action have lost their minds!

Let's start with the fantasy world Obama THINKS existed 20-30 years ago. Twenty years ago it was the bombing of UTA Flight 772 over Niger on 19 September, the execution of U.S. Marine Corps Colonel William R. Higgins on July 31. And just one year earlier, in 1988, 193 attacks were directed against the United States (see http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_89/review.html).

Thirty years ago, when Carter, another pansy president of appeasement sat in the Oval office for a year while terrorists held and mistreated 52 American in Iran until a new president, Reagan, effected their release. Reagan had said as President he would take the hostages back even if he had to destrot Tehran. On the day he was inaugurated, the terrorists suddenly freed the hostages. Get it?

And even ten years before that, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine blew up a Swiss airliner just after it has taken off from Zurich, Switzerland, killing all forty seven people on board, and on September 6, "Skyjack Sunday" takes places at Dawson Field, in Jordan. TWA, Swissair, BOAC aircraft, along with more than four hundred hostages, were hijacked and ordered to the Jordanian airport by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Another terrorist team tried to hijack an El Al Boeing over London but security staff foiled the attempt and captured one of the hijackers, Leila Khalid, alive. The German, Swiss and British Governments all agreed to the PFLP's demands and released a number of terrorists, including Khalid, held in their jails. Just two of roughly 20 terrorist acts that year.

So, just what "relationship of mutual respect and friendship" was Obama referring to?

And every SANE person understands that a sitting president should never, ever denigrate the actions of the previous president and say he was wrong. Even if you do not agree with the previous president, you avoid knocking him in public, as it shows a sign of weakness on the American people. It sends the message, "We don't know what we're doing; we can't make up our minds. Maybe next time we'll elect a person who wants to enslave you. Who knows? With us, you roll the dice and take your chances."

No, you do NOT admit that a previous president was wrong. You simply say, "Here is the direction we will be taking going forward."

The liberals just do not get it. They do not have a clue what is really going on, even though the terrorists actually TOLD them what is going on. But it seems they refuse to believe it.

The terrorists sent us a memo, many times. The memo says, "We have only one goal, one purpose: to force the world to accept Allah as their God. Anyone who will not worship Allah must die. There are no other choices. There is nothing else we want. There is nothing to negotiate. All infidels such as Jews and Christians must convert or die. Period."

Liberals do not recognize that this is not an ordinary war - to the terrorists, it is a religious war. In a religious war, you can neither negotiate nor reason with the enemy, because you have nothing they want except your allegiance to their God.

You can be mean. You can be nice. You can pay them. You can help them when a tsunami hits. But no matter what you do, it will not change their desire to destroy you. It will not change their minds because to them, this is what their God requires. We are the Devil, and the Devil must be destroyed. Period. End of discussion.

When the enemy fights for his own agenda, he can be negotiated with. But when the enemy fights for his God's agenda, he cannot be negotiated with - he must do as his God wishes or suffer the wrath of his God. What would YOU do if this was your belief?

Wake up, liberals. The muslim terror organizations have been attacking us for generations. They have never liked us; never accepted us. We are decadent infidels that should be destroyed. And they will destroy us, unless we destroy them first, because those are the only choices in a war where zealots are the aggressor.

I wish the liberal idea that these people can be reasoned with were true. But it is not. You cannot reason with madmen or religious zealots. If they were capable of being reasoned with, they would not be actively and intentionally killing women, children, and even their own people in countries world-wide.

Look around, liberals. We were really nice to muslim nations in the 50's, 60's and '70's. And still they attacked us and others around the globe, as they always have. Look around - they do not just attack us - they have attacked nearly every country in the world, including Switzerland and even muslim countries. So exactly how do you equate that with Bush's policies? Do you really think they bombed Bali because of America? And if it was just Bush's policies that they are rebelling against, please explain their attacks on us during Clinton's term, Reagan's term, Carter's term, Nixon's term, Kennedy's term.......

Liberals do not learn from history because they are too busy rewriting it to suit their fantasy. On the very day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, America and Japan were in peace negotiations in Washington. And from 1938-1941, liberals wasted precious time, treasure and the blood of other nations trying to appease Hitler. And even as recently as a couple of months ago, while Israel was honoring their "truce" with Hamas, Hamas was firing rockets into Israel in an attempt to kill innocent civilians.

YOU CANNOT NEGOTIATE WITH, NOR APPEASE TERRORISTS.

Period!

Wake up, before it's too late - if it isn't already. In Obama's interview of appeasement, he did untold harm to this nation, and he gave aid and comfort to the enemy.

No matter which political side you are on, you should seriously review and consider all of the following:

In Obama's book, "Audacity of Hope", he states, "In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans … have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging,” he laments. “I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

He says if push comes to shove, he will stand with the muslims. His own words. Now add the following, his first acts as president:

1) Orders closing of GITMO where terrorists are held2) Orders that no harsh interrogations of terrorists shall be permitted3) His first interview is with muslims, and is appeasement and capitulation4) Orders that racial profiling - even for terrorists - is no longer allowed5) Sends $460 million dollars of Americans money, at a time when we are hurting, to other countries - primarily muslim - to help in their abortion clinics

My first question might be something like, "Mr. President, when are you going to make an order that protects ME? Do I have to ba a muslim terrorist to get your nod?"

But the denial and ignorance of liberals is impossible to overcome because their minds are closed. Here is one of dozens of similar posts found on AOL just today:

SHEBAMSB01:09 PMJan 27 2009BonnieU2 He said in one of his books: "If push comes to shove, I will fall on the side of the Muslims"==========LIAR LIAR LIAR He never said that in his book.Lmort .......Yes he did......."Audacity of hope...................Read it idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..if you voted for him you should have read his book..............Your Messiah========I DID YOU APPARENTLY DID NOT.__________________Liar! :If the winds should shift, I will side with the Muslims.....Exact words out of the book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!You Nobama fans really believe your own lies, don't you! You can not change what he wrote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NO, GO READ THE BOOK FOR REAL...what are you scared you made a mistake!

Here is a person who is an Obama supporter, but knows nothing about him. When confronted with the facts - quotes from Obama's own book - the person refuses to believe it. Won't even go check for herself. She does not WANT to believe it. So, it just does not exist - "Close my eyes and it disappears."

The sad thing is that the only news programs that make these things known are the programs on Fox News. Had she watched that kind of news that shows BOTH sides, she would have known of this, and made up her mind based on actual facts and not just liberal hype. CNN, MSNBC, NBS, ABC, CBS - none of them told people about this quote.

I have but ONE wish - that anyone who chooses to vote should first get FULLY informed, and not simply settle for what one side tells them. There are two sides to everything - if you do not want to bother to learn both sides, then you will get crappy government, because your vote would be based on ignorance rather than reality.

According to recent polls, most liberals do not know Obama said that. And most liberals did not know he said he would destroy the coal industry and drive energy prices skyward. They do not know that he voted against the sanctity of marriage act. They do not know that he is only 12.5% black. They do not know that he never actually produced a certified birth certificate, as required. They do not know that he was taped at an interview saying, "My Muslim faith...". They do not know a LOT of things they should have at least checked before voting. Then if they still vote for him, fine. But if a person is not informed, they should not get anywhere near a voting booth.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

No need to tell you that every coin has two sides. But more than that, EVERYTHING has at least two sides. Everything. Nothing is one dimensional.

So, take a deep breath, then absorb this simple fact: the flip side of CRISIS is OPPORTUNITY. You simply cannot have one without the other.

In fact, the Chinese only have one word that covers both - they use the same word for crisis as they do for opportunity.

Here's what this means for you - it means that the current financial crisis is rife with opportunity, for those who keep their eyes open.

It has been many years since stocks have been this low - there are a lot of great deals out there. They won't make you rich right away, but over time, they will pay off big time.

Home prices are down. If looking for real estate, this is THE time. Prices are down, and so are the interest rates.

Good, sound businesses cannot get all the credit they require. If you have a few bucks salted away, consider investing in local businesses that are unlikely to fail. Buy in as a percentage partner. After the crisis when the business grows, so will your net worth.

Opportunities are more plentiful in times of crisis than at any other time. Take advantage.

This should be 'The Picture of the Year,' or perhaps, 'Picture of the Decade.' It won't be. In fact,unless you obtained a copy of the lone US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if moved from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta . She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure.

Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville , he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr.Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, this happened....

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A man walked to the north side of the lake and filled a bucket with water. He would then walk around the lake to the south side of the lake and dump the bucket of water back into the lake. Throughout the day an observer watched as the man repeated the trip many, many times.

At evening, the observer finally asked the man what he was doing.

"We are in a drought, sir. I am simply raising the level of the water so we will have more."

As I read through the concepts behind the "stimulus" plan proposed by Obama and Congress during this economic drought, I could not help but be reminded of Dad's story, which had been originally written during the New Deal of the Great Depression era.

When you take money out of your right pocket, and place it into your left pocket, do not be fooled into thinking you have suddenly become richer.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration is over. Finally. And despite the excessive cost of it, and in spite of the Democrat mantra that "we must come together now", and their claims of tolerance, these same people showed a complete lack of any class at all. None.

When the do-nothing turncoat Carter came out, they cheered. When Clinton came out, they cheered. When Pelosi came out, more cheering. And when Obama came out, they cheered. But when the Senior President Bush came out, they booed. When the younger President Bush appeared, they booed. Even when the warm and wonderful Laura Bush came out, they booed. That shows a complete and total lack of class, respect, civility and integrity. And they will be the ones running America for the next 4 years. Heaven help us.

For the sake of America, I really do hope Obama succeeds in making things better, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt. We should all withhold judgement and give the man a chance. But I simply do not believe he will do what is needed.

The next time any Democrat tries to tell you they are the party of tolerance, or the party that wants to bring America together, you can just laugh. Or you could if it were actually funny, but it is not. It is sad. Very sad.

As a final note, I am really, really sick of all the racism disguised as "brotherly love". The most racist people are those who think others are racist just because they did not vote for Obama. They refuse to accept the simple fact that most who voted for McCain simply thought McCain was the better candidate. Why they have to automatically assume it is about race is exactly what makes THEM the racists. So I would like to make a point here.

When you talk about your BLACK church instead of church, you are racist. When you have a BLACK college instead of a college, you are racist. When you have a BLACK caucus instead of a caucus, you are racist. When you look at Obama and see a BLACK man, you are racist.

I am not racist. When I look at Obama, I simply see a man. I do not see a black man. If I raise a glass to him as president, I do not raise my glass to a BLACK president, but to my president.

If a person refers to him as "a black president" or some such identifier that includes his color, as most liberals do, then those people are racists - the fact that he is black makes a difference to them - and that is the definition of racism.

Because one thing is certain - if a person sees the color of a person's skin, and it makes any difference at all, that person is a racist. And if it does not make any difference, it does not belong in the conversation.

But I listen to all the infatuated Obama supporters and all I hear is the word "black". "Isn't it great we have a BLACK president?" Or "The first BLACK president..."

If and when the day comes when we can look at each other and not see color; if and when the time comes when we can label a person without bringing in color, then and only then can we say we have overcome racism.

And the absolute worst racists are those who scream the loudest about the racism of others - Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan and their ilk. Such people make their livings playing the race card and the hate card, and keeping racism alive and well. They need racism in order to be relevant. Everything they see, and everything they say is through a racist "black filter". All of them have a hard time trying to make a sentence without inserting the word "white" or "black". Stirring the pot, so they can continue being "great black leaders." If racism dies, they will become nobodies, fast.

That said, I do not have a black president. I have a president. And I am not a white American. I am an American. The only color of a man that concerns me is the color of his heart, not his skin. I only wish liberals would begin to see it the same way. But they depend on the race card, so I do not expect to see that in my lifetime.

In the last year, I have made 18 predictions on this and my other blogs. So far, 17 have come to pass - the last one we will not know about until 2012.

But prediction #17 stated that the stock market would seriously tank from election day to inauguration day if Obama were elected.

Since November 4th, the market has dropped a whopping 1700 points - roughly 20% of its entire value.

The reason, of course, is simple to understand, and was just as easy to predict. There are two factions in America - those who understand money and finance, and those that do not have a clue. As a rule, liberals are the latter. But they are now in power.

The stock market is where investors ply their trade. They generally understand money, even though they often make bad calls themselves. But at least they understand it. And from that understanding, they know what most Americans - those behind Obama - do not know.

They know that Obama's "financial economic plan" is unsound, and does not make sense. It looks good on paper, but in practice it simply will make things worse. Liberals tend to be superficial in their thinking - they rarely figure things out to their eventual conclusion. If it looks like it will produce a positive result tomorrow, they do not bother to look at the devastation it will cause a year from now.

They also know that Obama and the Democrat Congress will triple the national debt - because they have said as much. And they know that unless the the cap gains taxes are lowered, which Obama has refused to consider, there will be little profit to be made on Wall Street - why invest if there will be no profit?

What most of Obama's supporters simply do not comprehend is this:

Those investors determine the health of the economy. If they do not invest, companies do not have capital to work with. Without capital, companies do not hire - they lay off. And they do not expand or modernize - they cut production. And everyone suffers.

Obama supporters think it wise to penalize the well-to-do. The investors, and the companies they invest in. They do not realize that by penalizing the very folks who CREATE the wealth, they are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. For some reason that sane people cannot fathom, they believe you can kill the goose and still expect the eggs to get produced.

Investors know better. So investors pull out their money, before Obama's wrong-headed ideas strip it of more of its value.

And the proof is in the pudding - the market has lost 20% of its value in just the few short weeks since election day.

After the inauguration, it's anyone's guess how things will play. This is where we find out what Obama and the liberal congress is actually going to do. If Obama follows through on his wrong-headed economic plan, the future does not look good. But if he sees the light, and and realizes we must care for the goose, things could slowly get better. At this moment, we just do not know for sure which way he will run.

It has been said that if you hold a discussion between conservatives and liberals, the conservatives tend to remain civil while the liberals resort to foul language, insults and personal attacks. I set out to find out the truth. The following posts were taken directly from AOL reader's comments. I only copied the foul ones. In EVERY case of hateful vehemence, the poster was a liberal.

What is even worse, these are not the worst posts - out of a sense of common decency (common to conservatives, anyway) I left out the truly disgusting posts - and again, without exception, they were posted by liberals. Notice that the loons on the left also tend to scream, by using all capitals. And in many cases, their own screen names say it all.

Usapatriot401 BUSH.......HE'S SUCH A DOUCHBAG!

[ME] doesn't sound much like a patriot OR an American

VALLEYPIANO good riddens! see ya georgiE don't let the white house door smack ya in your ass9aka your head) on the way out!!!!!!!! thanx for alll the lies and the 1000;s of innocent american kids lives you've taken because of them. hoipe you and "daddy Bush" enjoy your oil!

[ME] As is typical of the majority of liberal posts, this person appears too uneducated to even spell simple words or construct sentences. And to think - these people VOTE!

Rwkwilliam GW(going wrong and getting worse) Bush the brain dead idiot with the IQ of a dead tree stump

[ME] Great personal attacks and insults. Real intelligent. Bush graduated college - this poster obviously did not graduate the 8th grade. Other posts by him were unintelligible.

DrDeath5000 LOOK LIKE THE DIXIE CHICKS WERE RIGHT ABOUT GEORGE BUSH HE IS A PIECE OF S H * T

[ME] If his Mom knew he talked like that, Dr Death would be dead. More intelligent, thoughtful remarks by a tolerant liberal who thinks Republicans are the party of hate and dissent.

Usapatriot401 WHAT SOME WHINEY AZZ REPUBLICLOWN IS COMPLAINING BECAUSE SCOTUS REFUSED TO HEAR THE BULLSH*T CASE OF BERG v OBAMA?.....BWAHHH....... IS THAT WHY BUSH NEEDED SCOTUS TO GET ELECTED.....HAHAHAHA

[ME] The village idiot is back. Notice how he goes out of his way to try and be insulting, even to the point of making up his own nonsensical words. He is also uniformed, and appears to get his "facts" from Saturday Night Live and the Daily Kos, rather than actual news sources. Can it get any more pathetic? Unfortunately, yes.

WILMD thats funny Edgarnew . GWB can barly string 3 words together for a sentence. I guess maybe that's why right wing nitwits like him so much. sure cant be because of anything he did. Worst President Ever.

[ME] Wrongly accuses Bush of not being able to "string three words together", this guy is even more uneducated than he claims Bush to be. He cannot use punctuation, capitalization or good sentence structure. Again, Bush graduated college, while this guy never made it out of grade school, apparently.

Usapatriot401 REPUBLICANS SERVING IN THE MILITARY......BWAHHHHHHHHH THAT'S THE BEST JOKE I'VE HEARD TODAY.........BWAHHHHHHHHH...

[ME] Talk about childish drivel - and the Hell of it is, HE thinks he's SMART! More important, the data points out that more than 80% of all military personnel actually are Republicans. Democrats tend to be "peaceniks" and anti-military.

Know the TRUTH teach it to your kids GO BACK TO MOLESTING CHILDERN STUPID

[ME] He cannot spell "children", but calls others stupid. Also denegrates them with smear tactics - another liberal trick to throw people off of the fact that they cannot actually discuss anything on its merits, or via the use of facts. Instead of saying, "I think you are wrong, and here are my reasons and facts to support them", this guy just spews this garbage and thinks it is a smart retort.

Know the TRUTH teach it to your kids WHO CARES WHAT YOU THINK??? YOU ARE A TROOL WHO DOES NOT EVEN LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY.PUT YOU HAND DOWN NO ONE CARES WHAT YOUR OPINION IS

[ME] If a person cannot spell simple words like "troll", they should at least be smart enough to use spellcheck. And another liberal who feels that anyone who disagrees with him has no right to freedom of speech.

BushIsACancerNY Who cares. You make a crappy citizen anyway. Gun, Head, Pull Trigger. Get it?

[ME] Check out the childish screenname of this clown. That says it all. Another typical liberal who believes that anyone who disagrees with them should be dead. I guess that is the "tolerance" they keep claiming. It must have been a liberal who came up with the phrase, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian."

Amykool I BELIEVE SO MUCH IN KARMA, THAT THE PIECES OF SHIT TALKING ABOUT OUR FUTURE PRESIDENT, WE ALREADY HAVE IGNORANT F$%*S THAT PROBABLY VOTED IN BUSH.

[ME] Amy may be a lot of things, but "kool" is not one of them. Another "tolerant, educated" liberal.

Tr444514 DeRozaleni: It is an act of honor not disrespect to fly your flag at half staff when there is a death of importance. My family has always flown ours at half staff at such times.-- ---------------------------------(response)-------YOUR f*ckin' family is a BUNCH OF IDIOTS - just like YOU are inbred.

[ME] Here we have both ends of a conversation - the first part is a conservative expressing a valid point in a civil manner. The second part is a typical liberal's response - not exactly civil or valid. Again with the insults, smears and personal attacks, for no reason. The conservative said nothing out-of-bounds.

Walkabjdog Haleejr73 Well it appears that the repulsicans and their sympathizers have work themselves up to a pre election stuper. You idiots just can't face defeat. You idiots just can't accept change. Well you all just stay in that mental state and witness this steam roller moving right over you and never looking back.

[ME] Anyone who disagrees with liberals is automatically an "idiot". But by reading this person's post, it is easy to see who the real idiot is.

sixfootdoll aving read your posts, it's sad your parents indoctrinated such prejudice and hatred at the very beginning of maturation. Children are born innocent, without bias or intolerance, they are the products of their environment, live what the learn. Your parents have passed onto you a denigrating legacy from generations gone by without any positive change. Genetics is the facilitator, not often you find products of incestuous relations gathered for an idiot convention. Child Protective Services should have removed you from the custody of the negative, abusive influences your moronic, mentally diseased parents subjected you during childhood.

[ME] How arrogant, to assume she knows why a person believes what they do. She must have a crystal ball! As for me, I know enough to realize that many folks grow up to do the opposite of what their parents taught them. But I guess this liberal believes she is somehow mentally superior, and that anyone who has the audacity to disagree with her is some sort of throwback. She accuses others of hate - but her own post drips with hatred and anger. Again, it truly scares me that such people can actually vote...

Beadcat49 DON'T FORGET FELLOW AMERICANS THAT THE MOTTO OF THE RIGHT-WING IS HATE AND FEAR, HATE AND FEAR, HATE AND FEAR.... WE HAVE NOTHING TO SELL BUT FEAR ITSELF. RUN AND HIDE. THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END.

[ME] Almost too funny - he is claiming conservatives are the ones spewing hatred and fear, yet it is his own post that shows hate and fear. This fellow is pathetic, and apparently needs professional help.

Beadcat49 It's almost comical reading the foaming-at-the-mouth rants from the loser repub-lie-cons who just don't even know what to do with themselves except drool on their keyboards as they screech hysterically about the end of the world as we know it now that a democrat is the president.

[ME] Where do such mindless little people come from? Why do they find it necessary to be so hateful and pathetic? More important, why go public with this crap and prove to the world that they are ignorant?

Beadcat49 Well... good night all you right-wing loonies. It's been fun reading your pathetic rants. You're just sore losers. Get over it. Your guy lost. Move on. Quit whining. Grow a set and grow up... if that's even possible for the ignorati that makes up the neo-conned base.

[ME] Obviously uneducated, uninformed, nasty, foul and hateful. Why? Why can't a liberal discuss an issue civilly, and recognize the right to disagree?

Sixfootdoll74 And to all the hurting and disappointed pricks out there, I say either conform and welcome your new President or drop dead tomorrow. Preferably the latter. The world simply does NOT need you!!

[ME] This gal has a short circuit in her brain. "If you have the audacity to disagree with the great, all-knowing sixfootdoll, you should die." That's what I call intelligent, thoughful discussion, proving how tolerant the "tolerant left" really is.

Elenaowl13 can u say loser, hater ignorant that what u are go and watch somemore fox.lol lol lol. u will have to wait another 8 yearsjust like we had to endure the detruction of this country in the last 8 horrible years. have a hateful night pukies.dont forget the antacids before bed

[ME] Obviously this lady never made it to grade school. She spews hatred and intolerance, but calls conservatives the party of hate and intolerance. Are these people so blind that they cannot see their own hatred? Are they so ignorant they cannot discuss an issue?

MChill36 HAHAHAHAHAHA..............I LAUGH AT ANY BUSH LOVER BECAUSE THEY BREATH SMELLS LIKE DICK AND HAIRY BALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ME] Let us not be blind - these people on the left are filthy, foul, and absolutely, positively uninformed, uneducated and ignorant. No, that is not a personal attack - as you can see from these actual posts, it is a fact. This fellow, for example, is slinging filthy personal insults against millions of Americans he has never even met. How ignorant and hateful is that?

Look, folks, I really do not mind having a good debate between the right and the left, but how can there be such a meaningful discussion if those on the left resort to name-calling, foul language, insults, smears and personal attacks? Are there no liberals out there who know the meaning and importance of respect? Tolerance? Civility? Honesty? Integrity?If you think that this is not a true representation, all you need to do is spend an evening on AOL reading the reader's comments to the news stories. You will see exactly what I have seen, as I have been following these for months. The above are not made up, nor are they the exceptions to the rule.

Friday, January 16, 2009

The following is not offered for the purpose of changing anyone's beliefs that may be founded upon ignorance. If nothing else, history proves that most ignorant people are ignorant by choice, and the facts will not change their minds.

Instead, this is presented for the benefit of those who already know, or suspect, the truth, and would like "ammunition" to use in case they are caught up in a debate on any of these subjects.

MYTH: Republicans stood for banning stem cell researchFACT: Republicans were not for banning the research - they simply refused to allow taxpayer money to be used to fund something that many taxpayers found morally unacceptable. There is no reason to use taxpayer money to fund private research that would financially benefit private corporations. The corporations could do their own funding, or take contributions from supporters, just like every other business.

MYTH: Santa Claus has no place in a religious holiday.FACT: Santa Claus, an Americanized mispronunciation of Saint Nicholas, has a very real place. St Nicholas epitomized the teachings of Christ, by giving without expectation of receiving. He chose to repeat the gracious and unselfish acts of the Wise Men, by bringing gifts to children on Christmas Eve. Certainly, many people have commercialized it too much, but the concept is relevant to Christmas and its meaning. As a side note: All religions must teach their children, if the religion is to survive. Use of entertaining characters to win the undivided attention of children gives us the opportunity to teach our children about the religion. This is precisely why Christ spoke in parables - entertaining stories with morals. He knew that in order to teach them, He must first hold their attention. And to that end, Santa and the Easter Bunny have a very valuable place in that teaching.

MYTH: Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from her house.FACT: Sarah Palin never made that statement - it was created by Saturday Night Live for a satirical skit by Tina Fey

MYTH: Butter and eggs are bad for you.FACT: Real butter actually has nutrients necessary for good health, and the butter fat is a relatively healthy fat. Eating healthy fats does not CAUSE fat - your body creates fat from unused carbohydrates and protein, not from fat. And margarine is only one molecule away from being plastic - even flies will not touch it. The chemicals used to make it are toxic. As for eggs, the cholesterol in eggs will NOT become cholesterol in your body. Like fats, your body makes cholesterol from other sources. Eggs have high protein, low carbs, and very essential Omega 3 fatty acids that most Americans do not get nearly enough of. It is also a natural source of rare trace minerals, such as vanadium, that our bodies need and are unlikely to get elsewhere.

MYTH: Republicans are responsible for doubling the deficit with the 700 billion dollar bailout.FACT: The bailout bill was rewritten and passed by a Congress that is Democrat controlled. 72% of Democrats voted for the bill; only 37% of Republicans voted for it. The Democrat Congress is now writing another 825 billion dollar stimulus bill that will effectively triple the deficit.

MYTH: There is a consensus that global warming is realFACT: Not true - at a global warming conference in Manhattan last year, over 200 climatologists, scientists and researchers disagreed with the GW theory. Since that conference, more than 600 additional scientists have changed their position on global warming and now express their doubts. And every year since 1995 the Earth has actually been cooler than normal.

MYTH: Ethanol is a viable option for controlling greenhouse gasesFACT: It requires 1.7 gallons of fossil fuels to reap 1 gallon of ethanol (tilling, planting, irrigating, hilling, harvesting, transport to processing, processing). Also, the use of our food supply to create the ethanol has caused a shortage of foods, and higher prices

MYTH: The new flourescent lightbulbs are "green" - environmentally superior.FACT: It requires twice as much glass to produce a flourescent bulb, and twice as much fossil fuel to produce that glass. The bulbs incorporate mercury, which is toxic, and must be disposed as hazardous waste - not exactly "environmentally friendly". And most Americans live at least 20 miles from a hazardous waste site - that's two gallons of gasoline required to dispose of one light bulb.

MYTH: Al Gore really won Florida in 2000.FACT: All studies and recounts - including the one by the anti-Bush New York Times - proved that Bush really did win Florida in 2000.

MYTH: Carbon Dioxide is a dangerous pollutant that must be reducedFACT: CO2 is not a pollutant - it is a natural gas necessary for life to exist on Earth. All plants "breathe" CO2. Reducing CO2 reduces the amount of vegetation the Earth can grow. And there is no substantive proof the CO2 has any effect whatever on any "global warming" trends. Environmentalists want to use plants to make ethanol to reduce carbon dioxide, without realizing that those same plants NEED carbon dioxide in order to live.

MYTH: President-elect Obama is a black AmericanFACT: Mr. Obama is only 12.5% negro. The balance of his bloodline is 37.5% Arab and 50% white.

MYTH: Religion is to blame for the world's illsFACT: People are to blame. The fact that they abuse religion to serve their own personal agendas is not the fault of any religion. Also, claiming to be religious, and actually living as a religious person are two completely different things. A person can call themselves a Christian, or Jew. But that does not make them so. What makes them so is living according to the tenets of their religion. For example, anyone calling themselves a Christian who commits adultery is not a Christian, unless he repents. In truth, religion provides our only source of morality and laws.

MYTH: Gay Marriage is a rightFACT: No one has a right to marriage - it is a privilege. Any church may decline to marry any couple they find unsuited according to their beliefs. People may still marry outside the church, but it requires a license. And rights cannot be licensed.

MYTH: Christianity says we should hate gays.FACT: Christianity clearly states we should love everyone, even sinners. It is the sin, not the sinner, that is an abomination. Love the sinner, but hate the sin.

MYTH: President Bush is responsible for the Katrina debacle.FACT: The federal government cannot intervene in state or local affairs without permission. The Mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana did not request federal assistance until after the fact. The federal government had provided funds to update the levees years before, but the state of Louisiana did not use the funds allocated.

MYTH: Republicans are responsible for the current financial crisis.FACT: While both parties bear some of the blame, the vast majority can be handed to the Democrats. Fannie Mae was created in 1937 by FDR (D), and was privatized in 1967 by LBJ (D). In 1977 Carter (D) passed CRA which required banks to make risky loans. In 1999, Clinton (D) signed the Bliley Bill that expanded CRA. In 2004 and 2005, republicans pushed measures to regulate the financial sector, particularly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Chuck Schumer (D) and Barney Frank (D) blocked those measures, stating that the financial institutions were sound and able to regulate themselves. And in 2007 it was a Democrat Congress that rewrote and passed the bailout bill, thereby doubling our deficit overnight.

MYTH: The current unemployment rate of about 7.5% is the greatest in history.FACT: Not even close. There have been many instances of unemployment rates of 9-10% or more. America enjoyed some of the lowest unemployment rates during the Bush presidency - the highest was during the Reagan administration. 7 of the 10 highest unemployment rates occured during Democrat presidencies.

MYTH: Taxing the rich will help the poor.FACT: Actually, the reverse is true. When you tax the rich, or corporations, they simply pass those "expenses" onto consumers - the poor - in the form of higher prices for the products and services. Furthermore, taxing the rich leaves less profits, resulting in layoffs and/or reduced benefits, such as health insurance or 401K's. This, in turn, reduces GDP, which can cause recession. None of these things benefit the poor, even if you give them those tax dollars. That is because only 5% of the folks are wealthy - so for every dollar you take, even if spread out without any administration costs, would result in each poor person receiving about one penny. But that rich person must now up the costs of his products services by at least a penny, or more. It is simple math.

MYTH: Higher taxes means better services.FACT: In every nation where socialism has incurred highest taxes, the services provided are the worst. It turns out that when services are cheapened by government subsidies, more people use and abuse them, and the demand for the services far outstrip the nation's ability to provide them. Maine has the second highest taxes, per capita, in the nation. Yet, it has some of the worst roads; poor, overcrowded schools; high unempoloyment and little growth. The state next door, New Hampshire, has one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation, yet has good roads, better schools, and higher growth.

MYTH: All Democrats are liberals.FACT: Only about one in three Democrats is actually far enough to the left to be considered a liberal. In fact, another one in three is Democrat in name only - they actually believe in conservative values. They only consider themselves Democrats because of just one or two issues, such as entitlements and abortion. If not for those two issues, one in three Democrats would be likely be Republican. All polls and statistics on the issues show that 84% of all Americans have roughly the same conservative values. The remaining 16% have liberal values, and of the 84% that have primarily conservative values, the issue of abortion or entitlements keeps about 30% of them from siding with Republicans when voting. The reason Republicans often lose: known as the "silent majority", many do not show up to vote. Conservatism tends to breed complacency. Think of it like the old AVIS Car Rental commercial - #2 must try harder. And they do.

MYTH: "This recession could have been avoided if..."FACT: Recessions cannot be avoided no matter what we do. The economy, like everything else, works in cycles. "What goes up MUST come down." Recessions are made worse by trying to avoid them, as the "bubble" continues to build pressure. The higher the balloon rises, the farther you fall when it bursts. Greenspan made a horrible mistake by bouying up the economy artificially for so long. And Bernanke followed suit.

MYTH: This "warming spell" referred to as "global warming" is a recent phenomenon.FACT: During the several hundred years prior to the 1100's, the Earth's temperature was actually warmer than it is today. In the 12th Century, a phenomenon known by science as the Mini Ice Age began, and lasted until the mid 19th century. This mini Ice Age was responsible for entire civilizations to suffer plagues, famine and other natural disasters, and some cultures even disappeared. It was the driving force behind the Viking invasion of the British Isles to the south. Since the mid 1800's, the Earth has been warming, to get back to "normal". A similar, but more devastating climate change occured around 4000 BC - geology teaches us the Sahara at that time was a green, fertile plain. A "warm spell" occured that changed all that. Many scientists have evidenced that our sun "flares" - it throbs, so to speak. Some periods it grows hotter, while other periods it cools a bit. Look at any flame and you will see what happens. Also, our orbit around the sun is not static - sometimes we are farther away than others, often for long periods.

MYTH: Bottled water is healthier than tap waterFACT: That depends. Most bottled water is nothing more than tap water that comes in expensive plastic containers that fill landfills and cost a lot of fossil fuels to make. Tap water from public sources may have toxic chemicals like flouride added, in which case bottled water is far better for you. But if your water supply has not been doused with chemicals, your tap water is the best source available.

MYTH: All "ionic" air purifiers are healthyFACT: Not quite. There are two types of ions - negative and positive. Positive ions are harmful to health. Negative ions are good for you. Negative ions have a very specific, "cool and clean" odor that is easily recognized.

MYTH: The Bible says the Earth was created in 6 days.FACT: The ancient Hebrew word used in the original texts of the Bible use the Hebrew word "yom", not "day". The word "yom" can literally mean any span of time - a day, year, era, millenia, epoch, age. When King James translated the Bible into English, he arbitrarily translated yom to mean "day", in a medieval effort to make God appear even more omnipotent. In all likelihood, the word "yom" was probably meant to mean "time" - that God created the Earth in 6 times. A "time" could be millions of years. This would allow for both Creationism and evolution, and would allow the rift between science and religion to be erased - a rift created by King James by the mistranslation of a single word.

MYTH: Evolution is a proven scientific fact.FACT: Actually, evolution is still just scientific theory, as yet unproven. Despite more than 150 years of trying to come up with solid evidence, absolutely no substantive proof has ever been found. Creationism, on the other hand, does offer certain hard evidence as to its truth, although it has also never been proven scientifically. There are many scientists who now believe that the two are not mutually exclusive - that creation could have occured, and evolution is "built in" as a means for a species to adapt to changes. See above.

MYTH: The ancients in the Bible, such as Noah, lived hundreds of years, even a thousand.MORE LIKELY THEORY: Most likely another mistranslation. If you were to change the word "year" to "moon" (a month), Noah would have had a lifespan of roughly 80 years instead of 950 - not much different from today. Bear in mind - the Hebrew language often did not differentiate between periods of time. One should always remember that the Bible they read is merely a loose translation, made by mere mortals, subject to errors. The Bible is likely true - much scientific evidence has piled up to that effect. But it may still be interlaced with mistranslations that provide different presumptions. Did Noah Live? Probably. Did he live 950 years? Probably not.

MYTH: Adam was the first Man.MORE LIKELY THEORY: According to Genesis, he was not. But he was the first Man with the ability to recognize "self", and see a difference between good and evil. He was the first of his specific kind, but not the first human. Genesis states that, upon being exiled for killing Abel, Cain went to the land of Nod and took a wife. If Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel were the only people, where did the wife come from? It would appear that, as is now understood through science, the tree of human ancestry had many branches - neanderthal, cro-magnon etc. Adam was simply the new, improved model. And perhaps the reason we are not as perfect is because Adam's offspring were forced to mate with those lesser humans.

MYTH: Most African Americans are Democrat because Democrats pushed for civil rights.FACT: Republicans also pushed for civil rights - and the first Republican president - Abe Lincoln - freed the slaves. No, the reason most minorities vote Democrat appears to be more basic - Democrats provide the entitlements that many minority people came to depend upon, because they were impoverished. Welfare is like any drug - once you have it, you do not want to give it up. You become "institutionalized", as they say. African Americans and other minorties know if they vote Republican, welfare and other entitlements will likely be cut in favor of pushing those people into more productive lives, as was done in the '90's. By voting Democrat, their next "fix" of welfare is assured. But this much is true - it was both republicans and democrats that kept minorities impoverished in the first place. The only difference is that Democrats threw them a bone, and Republicans chose instead to ignore the problem. Had the Republicans of the '60's tried to uplift (without welfare) the minorities as they did in the '90's, it would be a far different story today.

MYTH: The Constitution states that there must be a separation of church and stateFACT: No such thing exists in the Constitution. The Constitution states that "Congress may make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or the free practice thereof." In short, the government could not establish a state religion, and could not interfere in religion. But there was nothing that said the government must be devoid of religion. The "wall of separation" often spoken of was written by Thomas Jefferson, who was not one of the founders who wrote the Constitution. And he later stated that the wall should be one-way, that the government must stay out of religion, but religion should not stay out of government. It was the liberal Supreme Court of the '60's that arbitrarily decided to insert Jefferson's first words into the meaning of the Constitution, while ignoring his follow-up.

MYTH: Allowing all immigrants to come here freely, and become citizens is the right, compassionate thing to do.FACT: The resources of every country are limited. Ours are already being stretched. Of the 6 billion people on Earth, at least half are impoverished and would gladly come here. Imagine adding even one billion - or even 350 million, which would double our population. We would have to double the number and size of schools, double the roads and traffic jams, double factories and stores, and residential areas. Double the demand for health care, jobs, and so on. Almost overnight, America would become a third-world nation as more and more people would be fighting over the available, dwindling resources. It is a far better solution to help teach other cultures and nations how to prosper more from their own resources. Mexico, for example, has thousands of miles of the best beaches in the world. It is rich in minerals and certain gemstones. They could and should be doing much better than they are. And Afghanistan has some of the richest gemstone mines anywhere on Earth. Help them to maximize what they have.

MYTH: It is wrong to deport illegal aliens when they break our laws, as it breaks up families.FACT: If that were true, then it would be just as wrong to send an American citizen to jail for breaking the law, because it would break up HIS family. No, the mere fact that a person is illegal and that families may be separated is not the issue. The issue is whether or not lawbreakers should be punished. The answer, of course, is "yes". The separation of families is the price for breaking the law - citizen or not.

MYTH: Voting ballots should be printed in different languages, to accommodate non-English speaking citizens.FACT: There are no non-English speaking citizens. One requirement for citizenship is the ability to communicate in English. Ballots printed in other languages is a poorly disguised attempt to help non-citizens to vote in our elections, and sway the results - voter fraud.

MYTH: The people elect the President.FACT: The popular vote means nothing. The President is chosen by a few hundred Electoral votes cast by people who were APPOINTED by either a state's legislators or the state's governor. They may vote however they wish. And in many states, the electoral votes cannot be cast according to popular vote - if 40% of the folks vote for one party and 60% vote for the other, ALL electoral votes go to the winner, not just the 60% that the candidate earned. In short, the votes of the other 40% are taken away and cast for the opponent. Your vote for one candidate may be given to the other candidate. Your Republican vote would be given to the Democrat, or vice versa.

MYTH: The government prints our money.FACT: The Constitution specifically states that only the government may print the money. However, that was changed, illegally, in 1913 with the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913. The Federal Reserve is federal in name only. It is actually a group of independent members (originally 13 wealthy families, among them JP Morgan, Goldman, Sachs, Rockefeller etc.) each of whom owns a share of the Federal Reserve. The Constitution was never amended to permit this.

MYTH: Our money is backed by gold and silver.FACT: Not since the 1930's, when FDR put a stop to that and sold off our gold reserves to other countries. Ever since then, our money has been backed by nothing more than an I.O.U. It is, in reality, fiat money that is not backed by anything at all. All bills are now "Federal Reserve Notes" - IOU's issued by the federal reserve.

MYTH: Buying up new gold coins & bullion will protect you from financial ruin.FACT: The government may, at any time, make it illegal to own any gold coins minted after 1936, or gold bullion. They may buy them from you at FACE VALUE - a $20 coin would get you $20 in fiat paper money, even though you may have paid $800 for it, and even though the current value is $800. And you would be REQUIRED to turn it in. The exception: gold coins officially minted prior to 1936. The government does not have any legal right to illegalize the owning of such coins, and cannot legally force you to turn them in. They are better for protecting you, and as old coins, their value tends to be far greater due to collector value and scarcity.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

No, this is not about Washington DC, though there is a lot of wild life down there. This is about God's little creatures of the wilderness.

Every morning, a large group of turkeys comes to our yard to feed. Every afternoon they return. And every evening, at dusk, six deer come to feed, and they return just before dawn.

They come because we share with our little wild friends. Each day I put out alfalfa, cracked corn, peanut hearts and black oil sunflower seed.

And every time it snows, and my neighbor sees me snow-blowing 250 feet out to the side yard, then clear a 100 foot circle so they have a place to feed, he thinks I've lost my mind. He still does not know why I plow way out there. He just thinks I like to blow snow.

So, yesterday as the winds drifted the snow and I had to go clear it, and he watched me blow snow some 250 feet from the house, he finally stopped to ask why, pray tell, do I snowblow my yard.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

In looking for a sound means of expressing why an educated, intelligent person would believe in a greater intelligence often referred to as "God", I have come up with many. But none are so powerfully convincing as this one.

To begin, it is important to understand that evolution, or accidental existence, by its definition and nature, cannot include concepts such as planning, thought, or even the ability to determine a need for something. All of those things require intelligence.

Therefore, without accepting the existence of a God, it is impossible to explain why - and how - the act of sex creates a physical sensation of ecstacy.

Certainly, any "designer" would understand that in order to survive, creatures must procreate. And to insure they do so, it would be necessary to instill such a sense of pleasure derived from the act of sex. But my point is this - it takes rational thought, planning, and determining a need for the sense of pleasure. Without intelligence, "nature" and accidental existence would not beget such pleasure. Not being able to think, plan or determine, nature could not possibly, and by sheer accident, instill in us the sense of sexual pleasure.

Some might say that the ecstacy evolved because of the need for it. But that raises two questions:

1) how does nature, unable to think or plan, determine such a need, and "evolve" it, and

2) if it evolved over time, how did life survive long enough to develop that sense of ecstacy? Without it from the start, it is unlikely that creatures would procreate.

Certainly, evolution can explain many things. But what each of us should think about are those things that evolution cannot explain.

Take, for example, the intricacies of coexistence. Needs between two or more living things cannot be explained through evolution, as one species has no way of "knowing" what another needs. Here is an example:

Birds eat raspberries. But they cannot digest the seeds. Instead, those are excreted while the birds sit on tree branches. This allows the raspberry seeds to produce new plants because a) the seeds were not digested, b) the seeds were deposited beneath branches where they receive the required shade for the young roots, and c) the seeds are deposited with a glob of bird manure, to fertilize the seeds. An intricate series of instances that produces an end result. And because of it, the birds are helping to produce their own food supply.

This raises questions, for those who do not believe in a Divine Intelligence. One such question: why is it that the seeds are not digested? Surely evolution, without intelligence, would insure that the digestive system of birds would digest everything they eat. Considering all of the separate things that must occur, in concert, in order to continue the cycle, and each must occur without the knowledge of any of the "players", it is difficult for any thinking person to reject out-of-hand the concept of a Divine Intelligence.

Of course, as a believer I always like to ask non-believers the following two questions:

1) Since only living things can evolve, how do you explain the existence of all the non-living things, like rocks? Since they could not evolve, the only other explanation is that they were somehow created. By what? Why? How?

2) Assuming evolution explains how humans got here, how do you explain the very first living thing? Being the first, it could not have evolved from anything, because it was the first. So, where did that first living thing come from? How did it become alive?

In any case, I always come back to the wonder that is the ecstacy we feel when we complete the sex act. Such a thing is something that has a defined purpose, but not a true need except in the context of propagation of the species. And nature, or accidental existence, being unable to think and therefore unable to care, would not provide such a solution. The fact that 96% of all species that ever lived have already become extinct proves that nature does not care if we survive or not. Providing a solution for a purpose is something that requires intelligence, thought and planning.